Air distribution system for combined refrigerators

ABSTRACT

An air distribution system for combined refrigerators of the type that comprises: a freezing compartment ( 10 ) and a refrigerating compartment ( 20 ); an air-cooling compartment ( 40 ) lodging at least one evaporator ( 45 ); a distributing duct ( 60 ) having a rear window ( 62 ) opened to the air-cooling compartment ( 40 ), at least one front opening ( 65 ) communicating with the freezing compartment ( 10 ) and one end opening ( 64 ) maintained in communication with the refrigerating compartment ( 20 ); and at least one fan ( 46, 47 ) producing a forced airflow from the air-cooling compartment ( 40 ) to the freezing compartment ( 10 ) and to the refrigerating compartment ( 20 ), said distributing duct ( 60 ) carrying a conduct ( 63 ), having a first end coupled to the end opening ( 64 ) of the distributing duct ( 60 ), and a second end selectively placed in fluid communication with one of the parts defined by the distributing duct ( 60 ) and by the air-cooling compartment ( 40 ).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to an air distribution system forcombined refrigerators, with forced airflow and presenting a freezingcompartment and a refrigerating compartment separated by a divisionalwall.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The combined refrigerators with forced airflow are provided with ductsto conduct the cold air, which is coming from the evaporator, orevaporators, to the freezing and the refrigerating compartments.

In a known construction, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the encloseddrawings, the combined refrigerators with forced airflow comprise afreezing compartment 10 and a refrigerating compartment 20, which aresuperposed and provided with respective front doors 11 and 21, andseparated by a divisional wall 30.

Inside the refrigerating compartment 20 are provided the usual shelves22, between which is supplied the refrigerated air coming from frontopenings 23 a provided in a diffusing duct 23, which is generallyaffixed internally to the central region of a rear wall of therefrigerating compartment 20 and has an end, for example the upper end,receiving a refrigerated and forced airflow coming from an air-coolingcompartment 40 lodging an evaporator 45 and a fan 46 and which isgenerally positioned close to the rear region of the freezingcompartment 10. The return of the air that circulates in therefrigerating compartment 20 back to the cooling compartment 40 is madeby capturing said circulated air in the front upper region of therefrigerating compartment 20 and conducting it to the air-coolingcompartment 40 through one or more return ducts 50 provided in theinterior of the divisional wall 30, or in any other adequate part of thestructure of the refrigerator.

In the construction illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the combinedrefrigerator comprises a single evaporator 45 and a single fan 46, and aduct system that comprises a distributing duct 60 disposed in front ofthe air-cooling compartment 40, from which it receives the refrigeratedforced airflow that is impelled by the fan 46, directing part of saidforced airflow to the interior of the freezing compartment 10, throughfront openings 65 turned to the inside of the latter, and part of theforced airflow to the diffusing duct 23 through a connecting duct 70generally provided through the divisional wall 30.

While being widely used in combined refrigerators, this prior artconstruction presents limitations which avoid improving the functionalperformance of these products and which are associated with theirrefrigerated air distribution system, leading to the creation of moreelaborated and efficient solutions.

One of the most efficient solutions, which is schematically illustratedin FIGS. 3 and 4, comprises a single evaporator, such as it occurs inthe solution described above, and two fans 46, 47, one of which 46 beingdesigned to supply a respective forced airflow to the freezingcompartment 10, while the other fan 47 is positioned in the upper regionof the diffusing duct 23, to supply an efficient forced airflow to therefrigerating compartment 20. In this constructive variation, the secondfan 47 receives the cold air coming from a refrigeration duct 80directly connected to the air-cooling compartment 40.

In order to comply with the refrigeration requirements of the respectivecompartments, to which the two fans are operatively associated, saidfans are coupled to the distributing duct 60 and to the refrigerationduct 80, which are specifically designed for this mounting arrangement.

In another prior art solution, which is an improvement of thearrangement having one evaporator and two fans, two independentrefrigeration circuits are provided, one for each compartment and inwhich each circuit comprises one evaporator and one fan.

In this last construction (not illustrated), the forced airflow that iscommon to the two compartments is not provided any more and theair-cooling compartment is divided in two chambers, each of saidchambers containing its fan and being associated, through respectiveducts, with one of the compartments of the combined refrigerator.

The constructive solutions mentioned above present advantages anddisadvantages, taking into account some aspects, such as performance,cost, and food preserving capacity. Thus, depending on the purchasingpower of the consumers and the characteristics valorized in each market,the most adequate solution can vary considerably. The differentconstructive solutions mentioned above for the forced air distributionin combined refrigerators are specific and differ from each other, notonly in relation to the number of fans and even of evaporators, but alsoand mainly in relation to the construction and disposition of the ductsfor the passage and direction of the forced airflow between eachevaporator and the freezing and refrigerating compartments. The knownconstructive solutions make difficult and even unfeasible the differentuses thereof, requiring considerable investments to increase theportfolio of products.

In the construction that uses one evaporator 45 and one fan 46, thedistributing duct 60 is constructed to receive the whole forced airflowfrom the fan 46 and to divide, so as to direct a part to the freezingcompartment 10 and another part to the refrigerating compartment 20,through a connecting duct 70, which is generally placed through thedivisional wall 30, and through the diffusing duct 23.

In case of providing the same refrigerator with two fans 46, 47, thedistributing duct 60 is specifically constructed to receive the airflowfrom the first fan 46, directing it only to the freezing compartment 10,it being also necessary the construction of a refrigeration duct 80 toconnect the air-cooling compartment 40 directly to the connecting duct70, to the end of which is mounted the second fan 47, which isresponsible for providing a forced airflow to the refrigeratingcompartment 20.

In the third type of assembly foreseen herein, the air-coolingcompartment 40 is divided into two chambers (not illustrated), eachcontaining one evaporator, one chamber being connected to therefrigeration duct 80 to define a forced airflow circuit to therefrigerating compartment 20, and the other chamber is connected to thedistributing duct 60, which is constructed to serve only the freezingcompartment 10.

Each of said two assemblies requires one project for constructing theducts, particularly for the distributing duct 60 that is mountedgenerally in front of the air-cooling compartment 40.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

Since the known constructive solutions are not versatile to sufferalterations to obtain the distribution of the forced airflow in combinedrefrigerators, it is an object of the present invention to provide anair distribution system, which is capable, by making small alterationsin a standardized duct element, to be easily adapted to the mountingconditions defined above, namely: one evaporator and one fan; oneevaporator and two fans; and two evaporators and two fans, allowing thesame duct arrangement to be applied to different needs and potentials ofthe final consumer.

It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide an airdistribution system, such as mentioned above, which can be applied todifferent mounting conditions with the distributing duct presenting astandardized construction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The air distribution system for combined refrigerators is of the typethat comprises a freezing compartment, a refrigerating compartment andan air-cooling compartment lodging at least one evaporator; adistributing duct having a rear window opened to the air-coolingcompartment, at least one front opening communicating with the freezingcompartment and one end opening maintained in communication with therefrigerating compartment; and at least one fan producing a forcedairflow from the air-cooling compartment to the freezing compartment andto the refrigerating compartment, the distributing duct carrying aconduct, having a first end coupled to the end opening of thedistributing duct, and a second end that is selectively placed in fluidcommunication with one of the parts defined by the distributing duct andthe air-cooling compartment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described below, with reference to the encloseddrawings, given by way of example of a preferred embodiment and inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a combinedrefrigerator with forced airflow, using the air prior art distributionsystem provided with one evaporator and one fan;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken according to line II-II of FIG. 1, toillustrate the forced airflow outlets opened to the interior of thefreezing and the refrigerating compartments;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are similar views to those of FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively,but illustrating a combined refrigerator using a prior art airdistribution system provided with one evaporator and two fans;

FIG. 5 is a simplified schematic partial vertical view of the upper partof a combined refrigerator provided with the air distribution system ofthe present invention;

FIG. 5 a is a similar view to that of FIG. 5, but illustrating the airdistribution system directly opened to the air distribution system withthe diffusing duct;

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 are perspective views of a first, a second, and a thirdway of using the air distribution duct of FIGS. 5 and 5 a; and

FIG. 9 is a similar view to that of FIG. 2, but illustrating thecombined refrigerator using the air distribution system of FIG. 8.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT

As already mentioned, the present air distribution system is applied toa combined refrigerator with forced airflow, such as that described inrelation to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4.

According to the construction proposed in the present invention, thedistributing duct 60 takes the form of a parallelepipedic box,preferably made of injected plastic material and presenting a rear basicportion 60 a, in the form of a vertically disposed tray and with itsrear wall 61 defining at least part of a front wall of the air-coolingcompartment 40, and a front cover portion 60 b to be seated and affixedagainst the rear basic portion 60 a.

The distributing duct 60 is mounted inside the refrigerator cabinet,generally onto the divisional wall, separating the air-coolingcompartment 40 from the freezing compartment 10, as illustrated in asimplified schematic manner in FIG. 5 of the enclosed drawings.

Regardless of the system used for the evaporation and for the forcedairflow, the rear wall 61 of the rear basic portion 60 a of thedistributing duct 60 is provided with a window 62 axially aligned with afan 46 that is mounted to produce a forced airflow from the interior ofthe air-cooling compartment 40 to the interior of the distributing duct60 and through said window 62.

As better illustrated in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, the rear basic portion 60 aof the distributing duct 60 contains, preferably incorporated in asingle piece and in the internal side thereof, a conduct 63, the frontwall portion being defined by the front cover portion 60 b itself whenassembled. The conduct 63 has a first end, generally the lower one,which is constantly coupled to an end opening 64, usually located in thelower region of the distributing duct 60 and to which is coupled an endof the connecting duct 70 that conducts the forced airflow to thediffusing duct 23 and from the latter to the refrigerating compartment20.

The construction illustrated in FIG. 7 is of the type that uses only oneevaporator 45 and one fan 46.

In this case, the whole amount of the forced airflow is produced by thefan 46 and passed through the window 62 to the inside of thedistributing duct 60, wherefrom it is supplied to the freezingcompartment 10 through front openings 65 provided in the front coverportion 60 b.

In order to allow part of the forced airflow supplied to thedistributing duct 60 to be conducted to the refrigerating compartment20, the conduct 63 has a second end, usually the upper one, which isusually closed during the molding step of the rear basic portion 60 a,and which is cut when mounted into the cabinet, to define an inletopening 66 that communicates the conduct 63 with the interior of thedistributing duct 60, allowing part of the forced airflow to be directedto the connecting duct 70 and thence to the diffusing duct 23 in theinterior of the refrigerating compartment 20.

In the mounting arrangement using two fans, it is necessary to establisha fluid communication between the air-cooling compartment 40 and thediffusing duct 23. In this case, the second end of the conduct 63 ismaintained closed to the interior of the distributing duct 60, but arear opening 67 is produced, by rupturing a wall portion of thedistributing duct 60, as illustrated in FIG. 8, to provide a fluidcommunication between the second end of the conduct 63 and the interiorof the air-cooling compartment 40, allowing another fan 47, which isgenerally mounted to an end region of the diffusing duct 23, to promotea forced airflow from the air-cooling compartment 40 to therefrigerating compartment 20, passing through the conduct 63, throughthe connecting duct 70, and through the diffusing duct 23.

In FIG. 6, a third manner of using the distributing duct 60 isillustrated, to be applied to the arrangements using two fans 46, 47 andtwo evaporators (not illustrated), which are mounted generally side byside, each in a respective chamber. In this case, there is no connectionbetween the interior of the conduct 63 and of the distributing duct 60,with the forced air circuit comprising another evaporator and anotherfan that are exclusively associated with the refrigerating compartment20.

It should be understood that the physical disposition of the twoevaporators could be made so as to allow the rear opening 67 of theconduct 63 to be in communication with the chamber that contains theevaporator of the refrigerating compartment 20, allowing the respectiveforced airflow to use the conduct 63 to connect the respectiveevaporator chamber to the connecting duct 70 and the diffusing duct 23.

In case the above arrangement cannot be accomplished, the distributingduct 60 is maintained with the construction illustrated in FIG. 6, andan additional duct (not illustrated) is provided to communicate thechamber of the evaporator of the refrigerating compartment 20 with thediffusing duct 23.

As it can be noted, a single standardized construction for thedistributing duct 600 allows complying with the requirements of a forcedairflow distribution in a combined refrigerator having one fan and oneevaporator, or one evaporator and two fans, or even two evaporators andtwo fans.

In order to facilitate the adaptation of the distributing duct 60 to thedifferent mounting conditions, the parts that will be selectivelyremoved to form the inlet opening 66, and the rear opening 67 of theconduct 63 are preferably weakened or connected to the remainder of thedistributing duct 60 by weakened connecting lines.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in relation to apreferred constructive form, it should be understood that changes couldbe made in the form and disposition thereof, without departing from theinventive concept defined in the claims that accompany the presentspecification.

1. An air distribution system for combined refrigerators of the typewhich comprises: a freezing compartment (10) and a refrigeratingcompartment (20); an air-cooling compartment (40) lodging at least oneevaporator (45); a distributing duct (60) having a rear window (62)opened to the air-cooling compartment (40), at least one front opening(65) communicating with the freezing compartment (10), and one endopening (64) maintained in communication with the refrigeratingcompartment (20); and at least one fan (46, 47) producing a forcedairflow from the air-cooling compartment (40) to the freezingcompartment (10) and to the refrigerating compartment (20),characterized in that the distributing duct (60) carries a conduct (63),having a first end coupled to the end opening (64) of the distributingduct (60), and a second end selectively placed in fluid communicationwith one of the parts defined by the distributing duct (60) and by theair-cooling compartment (40), said conduct (63) being internal to thedistributing duct (60).
 2. The air distribution system according toclaim 1, characterized in that the conduct (63) is incorporated to thedistributing duct (60).
 3. The air distribution system according toclaim 2, characterized in that the distributing duct (60) comprises arear basic portion (60 a) in the form of a vertically disposed tray,having a rear wall provided with a rear window (62) and defining atleast part of a front wall of the air-cooling compartment (40), and afront cover portion (60 b) to be seated and affixed against the rearbasic portion (60 a) and being provided with at least one front opening(65).
 4. The air distribution system according to claim 3, characterizedin that the front cover portion (60 b) defines a wall portion of theconduct (63) when assembled.
 5. The air distribution system according toclaim 1, characterized in that the conduct (63) is maintained inselective fluid communication with one of the parts defined by thedistributing duct (60) and by the air-cooling compartment (40) by meansof respective front opening (66) and rear opening (67) produced by therupture of corresponding wall portions of the conduct (63).
 6. The airdistribution system according to claim 5, characterized in that theconduct (63) conducts a forced airflow supplied, through the inletopening (66), coming from the distributing duct (60)), to whose rearwindow (62) is operatively associated a fan (46).
 7. The airdistribution system according to claim 5, characterized in that theconduct (63) conducts a forced airflow, which is produced by a fan (47)that is operatively associated to the end opening (64) and to therefrigerating compartment (20), and which is supplied by the air-coolingcompartment (40) to the conduct (63), through the rear opening (67).